Plasma Anti-Tank Gun
The Plasma anti-tank gun also known at the Republic anti-tank gun, is a man portable shoulder fired weapon system developed in the late 3900's. The result of cooperation between the Hune Republic and Rovinar Federation, the system helped pioneer the development of miniaturized stasis fields. The weapon system is made up of a stasis based fuel cell containing super heated metal, and a barrel assembly with magnetic containment fields and repulsors. The Repulsors and magnets help to accelerate and contain the stream of metal as well as punch through air that may be in its path. Additional repulsors also provide a counterforce to reduce recoil that would be suffered by the user. Power for the systems contained in the barrel assembly is provided by a standard small arms grade power cell located in the weapon's grip. Additional backup power cells can be clipped to the barrel exterior for redundancy. The weapon stasis fuel cell with its potentially volatile cargo is well armored to reduce the chance of an accidental explosion. It contains an integrated power cell to maintain the stasis field, capable of lasting weeks. In a low power situation the fuel cell will bleed off heat from its cargo, keeping it operational for an extended period. It will eventually reach an inert state rather than exploding. Field Modifications With decades of practical experience soldiers from many factions have found way to modify these weapons for situations they were not intended for. Tank main gun: Some desperate groups, unable to acquire dedicated tank weaponry or the reactors needed to power them have swapped in these plasma based systems. While short ranged they can still be effective in close quarters city fighting. Many such groups will modify the weapon to use the entire fuel cell in one powerful shot, though this will significantly shorten barrel life. Plasma Grenade: Marines and special forces in the Dominion were among the first to report this field mod. Fitted with the right explosives it is possible to intentionally overcome the fuel cell's protective housing. This will make for powerful improvised explosive device, though potentially an expensive one. Units desperate for an edge regardless of later strain on logistics have rarely hesitated to field such weapons. Sonia Reynard witnessed a marine preparing such an explosive on her second mission. Variants Due to the Republic's civil war these weapons quickly fell into the hands of deserters, mercenaries and black marketeers. It wasn't long before they attracted the attention of armies from several Factions. While production was eventually started up in distant locations under Republic control for sale to the markets, other powers attempted to copy them. The Dominion in particular undertook considerable effort to reverse engineer them. Even after 4024 when legal production licenses became available these development programs continued. 1st Gen Copies Early copies were usually roughly equivalent to, or occasionally worse than, the original. Most used the same fuel cells for ease of distribution though not always. Rovinar Export Plasma ATG - Exceedingly rare, this inferior version was developed specifically for export to other Factions via licensed Rovinar trade corporations. As the Federation has aided the Republic in certain key areas of the original's development they were able to produce standard models for their own forces. Reluctant to support proliferation of the tech their government eventually agreed to produce a watered down version for sale to other powers. Only a few Houses with territory closest to Rovinar space purchased them. Terran Anti-Tank Gun - Terran produced versions are known to be visually identical and are only distinguishable by production codes and some slight repulsor upgrades. Thanks to this their short to mid-range accuracy is slightly better than the original, though manufacturing cost was also higher. Production of this version almost ceased with the end of the Republic's civil war and sudden availability of new production licenses. Instead it was merely scaled back and this version reserved for special forces. Dominion Plasma ATG "A" series - Inferior models produced by Dominion Houses using whatever tech was available. There is considerable variation between manufacturers, but as a whole they are worse than the original in nearly every way. Most were quickly retired from service when Republic PL's became available. Dominion Plasma ATG "B" series - A few Houses are known to have produced versions that were very nearly equal to the originals but used their own indigenous fuel cell design. This made them incompatible with other model. Some have suggested this was to reduce instances of theft for the black market. House Xygen attempted to force many of its vassals into relying on it for supply of fuel cells by providing weapons of this type at discounted rates. House Nasidum likewise considered it but had abandoned the idea by early 4026. Dominion Plasma ATG "C" series - Perfect replicas of the Republic weapons in terms of capability. Initially few in number, most Houses had at least some of these guns in their arsenals by the time of the Dominion Civil War of the 4030's. Custom Plasma ATG - Very rare weapons, these guns were one-offs built to the highest standards, using parts and equipment far beyond the norm. As such they are exorbitantly expensive. Later Copies & Successors Royal Armories Plasma ATG - A series of upgraded plasma guns commissioned for the exclusive use of the Ruling House Royal Guard. These weapons often sport ornate patterning and decoration. Many also saw modification to the shoulder rest that made one handed firing easier for those with power armor. They were in limited production by 4031. Variable Plasma Rifle - See: Main article The ultimate achievement of Dominion plasma weapon development. A high end plasma weapon able to vary the power and duration of each shot. Maximum range is little improved compared to the Royal Armories weapon. Overall effectiveness and accuracy within that range is more reliable. These were quickly adopted by the Factions Alliance special forces to the annoyance of the Republic. History -Rovinar stasis tech advancements -Republic/Federation joint research projects -Mass production -Republic Civil War begins -Limited Production spreads to Terran & Dominion Space Category:Republic Category:Plasma Weapon Category:Weapons Category:Small Arms